Well after 47 years, the majority of which we have had permanent premises which could be access 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Stoke Wargames Club has been served notice to leave our premises.

This is catastrophic for the club. For many years we have had very cheap rent on what is admittedly a pretty dilapidated building. But it was our home. I have personally been a member for 28 years, climbing the same old rickety stairs to enjoy games with life long friends.

We are highly unlikely to secure anything anywhere near as suitable and in all likelihood this will see the fragmentation of a club with around 40-50 members. This is a really sad day. The current owner has decided to sell the building rather than invest in much needed repairs and we have to be out by the end of December.

We are faced with the potential of what most clubs do - set up and take down games on the same night. Many members store their collections at the club and leave games in situ if they don't finish their game.

But it's not just about gaming. The club is a community. We have members in their 70's who were there at the beginning. I've grown from my student days to middle age. We have lost members through cancer. We have many, many years of gaming memories as well as more personal ones of members we have lost. Friday nights 'down the club' have been as much a part of my life as just about anything else.

I have played countless Piggie games there (not so many this year ) as well as being involved in just about every period and scale you can imagine playing any set of rules you care to name.